Will Autonomous Driving Reshape the Trucking Industry As We Know It?

December 14, 2018

Autonomous driving is one of the potential solutions to the trucking industry, which is plagued by high turnover rates and a lack of workers. What would that mean for security though?

Trucking is one of the largest elements of America’s workforce but it’s also currently suffering a huge driver shortage. This is in part because of the demands that come with the job. Truckers work long hours away from their families, may have other seasonal work like a farming job to return to, or are just dissuaded by the fact that the industry is already plagued by such high turnover rates. It’s clear that there are going to be some technology-based solutions to this and one such possibility is autonomous driving. Let’s take a look at how autonomous driving could alter the trucking industry and how concerns like security and efficiency would be impacted.

Why Automate Trucking?

On one hand, the amount of truckers out there is dwindling—but the need for them is increasing. We’re shipping more products to more places than ever and in a global economy like the one we live under, it’s important to find the best ways to make sure products can get into the hands of consumers. Finding solutions that are capable of doing so quickly, efficiently, and in a way that has a net benefit on everyone is ideal—and there are many indicators that automated trucking could be one of those solutions if properly implemented and organized.

How Does Automation Create Efficiencies?

A trucker needs to stop for food, take breaks to sleep, or could make dangerous driving mistakes. There’s a lot of fear surrounding automated driving and those fears are stoked by the fact that some people have already been injured or killed by automated vehicles. The truth is, most experts in the field believe that more automated driving processes will make for a safer future and could end up preventing thousands of automotive deaths. Preventing these kinds of accidents is a huge reason we should consider moving towards this technology, but beyond that, it could also mean that shipments get made faster and more efficiently.

What About Security?

Automating the trucking industry to any extent creates a question of accountability and security. If a truck were used to breach the security of an industry or even a government body, who may be on the list of potentially being held accountable? The manufacturer behind the truck, the programmer who worked on the AI, the company taking advantage of the technology, or some other third-party who may have interfered? Autonomous driving creates a whole lot of ethical questions so it’s important that we have technologies in place, such as Intelligent Vehicle Undercarriage Scanners, to mitigate the potential misuse of automated trucking.

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Gatekeeper Security’s suite of intelligent optical technologies provides security personnel with the tool to detect today’s threats. Our systems help those in the energy, transportation, commercial, and government sectors protect their people and their valuables by detecting threats in time to take action. From automatic under vehicle inspection systems, automatic license plate reader systems, to on the move automatic vehicle occupant identifier, we offer full 360-degree vehicle scanning to ensure any threat is found. Throughout 30 countries around the globe, Gatekeeper Security’s technology is trusted to help protect critical infrastructure. Follow us on Facebook, Google+, and LinkedIn for updates about our technology and company.